Seeds of Fear
by kalspence
Summary: For 700 years he said he has trained Jedi. This is a young Yoda story as he learns about the darkside to better fulfill his destiny as a master to many Jedi


**Seeds of Fear**

Location: The Outer Rim an abandoned Sith temple.

Yoda lies on the ground beaten, bloodied and bruised. The results of a duel with Swordmaster Jedi Dominus.

Dominus: It was wise our former master sent you to me young one. It is clear more instruction is in order. Yoda tries to stand but Dominus force throws Yoda through six walls. He is standing next to Yoda when he lands.

Dominus: Don't be rude, you lost I'm speaking now. Your education must be unparalleled in depth and diversity. But above all fear. What do you know of fear? How can you teach what you know nothing about? Does the burden of your fate weigh heavier? You believe yourself formidable, what utter nonsense. You cannot reach lost souls until you experience what they experience. You must know these wounds so you may be able to heal them.

Dominus places a Sith holocron next to Yoda.

Dominus: These are teachings of the Sith Lords of Fear. Learn and in three years time at the Weaponsmaster Tournament show me what you have gained. Without revealing the nature of your apprenticeship to the rest of the Jedi Order.

One year ago, in the Dagaboh system.

Jedi Master Nkata Del Gormo: It is time my former apprentice. My last padawan learner has become a Jedi knight. He is destined to carry the light of the Jedi for generations to come. I have shown him this. All things are connected Dominus. He must know the darkness to better define the light. You Dominus must assume the role of the villain. You must get Yoda to embrace the darkness. I have seen this as well for you two are connected.

Dominus: And master what if he stays in the darkness?

Nkata Del Gormo: He will not. I was not mistaken when I beheld your destiny either.

Dominus: The ways of the Sith its power is intoxicating.

Nkata Del Gormo: And it shall always be. Prepare your Jedi brother.

On Coruscant at the Jedi Weaponsmaster Tournament. It is a time of peace in the Republic. Because of this The Jedi Council has convened this tournament which began two years ago. Partly to measure the skills that have been assembled and to encourage the Jedi to hone their craft. The final rounds of the tournament have begun. Yoda faces the Twi'lek Tuac. She like Yoda has won twenty matches to make it into the final rounds.

Tuac: Your reputation precedes you Yoda.

Yoda: Earned it is, learn why. He ignites his lightsaber and Tuac her lightwhip.

From above near the seating area designated for The Jedi Council Jedi masters Nkata Del Gormo and Dominus watch Yoda as he fights.

Nkata Del Gormo: Have you established your bond?

Dominus: Yes Master Gormo. Dominus is a Cerean becoming a Jedi has only increased his mental prowess. Earlier today after a brief encounter with Yoda he established and mental bond between them. Primarily to monitor him as he fights. But also to feel his emotions, to gage his fear.

Yoda is master of the acrobatic form IV saber style. His speed an agility are his greatest assets and they have increased considerably. As has his power since studying the Lords of Fear of the Sith. It is their theories of war, manipulation and motivations that he has learned. The Doctrine of Rapture states know your enemies' motivations and convictions. For therein lies their strength. Harness it for yourself make your foe reveal themselves by attacking with guile. Yoda's attack has several points of vulnerability. Tuac's counter will reveal her strategy and patience. A strong counter would reveal recklessness a defensive strike would show caution and thoughtfulness. But Yoda senses great pride in the Twi'lek. He will harness it to complement his power. It will nourish him and counter his fatigue. Then he will strip it from her. A series of somersaulting aerial strikes presses Tuac backwards. Elongating her lightwhip as she snaps it blocks Yoda's attack at four different strike points. Tuac cracks her whip and two more light cords emerge from her light bolo whip. Yoda throws his lightsaber which hovers around Tuac and spins in her direction. Tuac uses the force to control all three of her lightwhip cords to deflect Yoda's lightsaber. As one cord keeps Yoda's spinning lightsaber from returning to him the other two cords attack Yoda. The whipcords get longer and try to bind Yoda encircling him. Flipping, running to dodge her attack, in mid air he focuses his force energies around his hands pushing the whipcords from entangling his lower body. Tuac cracks her whip again and all three cords encircle Yoda tightening around him. As his lightsaber streaks towards him Yoda encases himself in a swirling force bubble that expands with such force it blows Tuac backwards to the edge of the battle platform. Yoda spinning in mid air strikes twice, once with his lightsaber disarming Tuac and then roundhouse kicking her into a barrier wall.

Nkata Del Gormo: He has harnessed his opponents pride an aggression to keep himself at peak levels. He fights in darkness. Bring him to me Dominus, we have much to discuss.

The three meet in Yoda's quarters.

Nkata Del Gormo: I sense great conflict within young Jedi. Dominus was chosen to educate you because what is easy for him is difficult for you and vice versa. You are walking away from the light as he once did. But because of his life experiences he knows where to stop. You are uncertain.

Yoda: Master the teachings of the Sith are dangerous. I have opened myself to its corruption so I may know best how to defeat it. A powerful will these lesson possess.

Dominus: Knowledge is possess knowledge or knowledge possesses you. I'm committed to seeing which path you take. Destinies are fulfilled and crushed by choice.

Yoda: You seem committed to my destruction.

Dominus: Only if you fail. There are ten hours before your next duel meditate on choice.

Yoda sits in a meditative position: Chosen have I the path of a Jedi. Conquer my temptations I must. Two choices does this tournament present. Fail or go further into the abyss. Not using the knowledge of the Lords of Fear means I lose this tournament. It means I fear I will lose myself to the darkside of the force. Do I win when I lose or do I lose when I win?

Yoda's next opponent is Risq and he is an Etherian. He is the first of his kind to become a Jedi and he is favored to win the Weaponsmaster Tournament. Etherians can absorb, generate and project energy. He wears gauntlets on each arm that harness and focus his power. The public refer to Risq as the Undefeated.

Risq: I sense you are confident you don't believe you will win do you?

Yoda: Speak to me no longer need you. Friends we will not be. He opens his robe and his lightsaber floats to his hand and ignites.

Risq's gauntlets glow and he duplicates the energy signature of a blue lightsaber and forms one lightsaber in each of his hands. With his power he can form any weapon he wishes that is the equal to any Jedi light based weapon. In fact his light weapons are stronger and leave a energy trail when moved. Yoda is overwhelmed by his arrogance Risq has let his mind stay open. He is an Etherian Yoda couldn't read his mind unless he let him. And he lets Yoda know his style and battle strategy. He even makes it apparent that all of this is a formality. Once this is over the entire Republic will know Risq is the most powerful Jedi ever. This Weaponsmaster's Tournament is his coronation. Yoda remembers his studies he recalls the Doctrine of Hunger. Hunger for the Lords of Fear is a need fed through suffering. Hunger is an emptiness that can only be satiated with power. Hunger is suffering. Suffering provides focus Yoda has suffered greatly these three years. Training under the Lords of Fear requires much suffering.

Yoda: Focus you lack, suffer you must.

Risq: For that remark I will embarrass you before the entire order. As they battle only the force sensitive can see more than streaks and surges of light. Soon Risq knows what Yoda knows, that he can't match Yoda in skill. Not often does Risq come across a foe who is faster and better than he is. But on those rare occasions his power secures victory. Every time his and Yoda's blades collide, Yoda feels intense pain. So great is the power generated by Risq he eventually wears down such opponents. Yoda has a great pain threshold due to his training under the Doctrine of Hunger. Risq will not be able to keep up with Yoda much longer so he changes how he distributes the pain. His two lightsabers morph into a light bow-staff. Still Yoda presses his attack and all Risq can do is keep up. He transforms the bow-staff into a pair of nunchucks and even that changes nothing. Risq force pushes Yoda across the battle platform for room and time to transform. He reabsorbs his light weapons and sections of his clothing begins to melt as he glows pulsating with energy. This reveals an exoskeleton network throughout his body connected to his energy gauntlets. Now sections of his arms and legs have the cutting field of a lightsaber around them. Now when he strikes Yoda's blade it will be with ten times as much power. Also the power surge makes it painful to look at him. He is glowing so intensely he is blinding. Yoda blindfolds himself as his lightsaber floats at his side. He cannot look at Risq. He will not be able to track his movements through telepathy because Risq's mind is closed to him. He must feel him through the force. Through suffering Yoda has learned how to feel deeply within the force. His lightsaber floats to his hand And he motions his hand towards Risq. Telling him to attack seeing him perfectly through the force letting the pain guide him. He blocks Risq's strikes and returns them with a vengeance. Yoda plunges his lightsaber into the energy field surrounding Risq and holds it there with the force. He steps back and hurls force lightning into the field through his lightsaber pouring energy into Risq.

Yoda: Power how much are you willing to suffer for? Yoda continue to hurl lightning until Risq falls reverting to a non energy charged state. Yoda's lightsaber flies into its holster as he turns and walks away Risq's body lies smoking.

Yoda's final opponent in the championship round is Cypress she is a human with cybernetic enhancements including two cybernetic arms giving her a total of three. She is also a former apprentice of Dominus. Yoda knows this by her fighting stance. And like her former master she uses a dual edge lightsaber. But unlike her master she mostly attacks with her lightsaber separated into two halves. Their duel has been a marathon lasting an hour so far. At this skill level the slightest error means defeat. The force is strong in Yoda he allows it to flow through his body and is the reason he is so fast and agile. The force is strong in Cypress as it flows through her body it augments her endurance and speed. The Doctrine of Anger states ultimate annihilation of one's enemy lies not only in manipulation of their energies but their will. Take their will their motivation and anger. Take what inspires them to act to fight. Strike down your foe with his own anger through the force. Yoda seizes her anger as her mental defenses begin to slip. Cypress is motivated by anger the pain she has been dealt. Yoda siphons her emotions through the force. A series of twisting aerial strikes allows Yoda to perfectly time her defense. Every time Cypress reconnects her lightsabers she leaves an opening. Yoda will have to increase his speed to take advantage of the weak point and Cypress's anger will do it for him. He attacks and as Cypress begins to counter he jumps and flips backwards and throws his lightsaber at Cypress as he runs. This prevents her from reconnecting her two lightsaber halves. He lands a powerful double drop kick to her chest. Moving faster than he ever has before he presses off her chest onto the floor. Pressing off the floor with his hands again he lands a kick underneath her chin. The force of the blow embeds Cypress into the ceiling ending the contest as he catches his lightsaber. The crowd stands and applauds.

Dominus: (Telepathically speaking to Yoda) You are not done meet me now. He summons Yoda to a holo deck training room for a duel.

As soon as Yoda walks onto the holo deck floor the room transforms into outer space within an asteroid field. Yoda and Dominus stand facing each other on a floating asteroid that suddenly begins dropping at incredible speed down. All of the many asteroids surrounding them do the same.

Yoda: A true Sith you are, sending your apprentice to defeat me.

Dominus: Don't insult me you have yet to grasp the meaning of this all. Some people are just too good for their own good. You have studied deep and grown in strength. You have defeated everyone I have sent to test you. I foresaw that but the ease in which you did so that I did not see. You've only had to stare into the abyss and even then you knew your life was not in danger. This is a tournament after all but the order has grown weak. At least now they all have been humbled and will strive to best you. We Jedi can be rather predictable. So at least I have provided you with potential rivals. Still you need the fear of death to provide motivation. Only until you have walked in the shadows of evil and summoned its power to save you will you understand. I need you to know how that feels. So I am going to send you to Mandalore. On that world you will face a race of Jedi killers. But now I'll remind you of your place apprentice. A lesson in humility is in order. As an incentive, if you can't last at least six minutes you don't get to take your lightsaber to Mandalore. And I won't be gentle like the last time.

Yoda: A master to many Jedi I will be Dominus.

Dominus: Prove it. Dominus jumps some thirty feet straight up spinning his dual head lightsaber igniting it and throws it. It cuts in half the asteroid he and Yoda were standing on. As Dominus catches his returning lightsaber with his left hand he thrusts his right palm downward. He force pushes Yoda hard toward an asteroid attempting to crush him. The Doctrine of Death states, passion is the key. Passion laced with a desire for life. A life of power. Dedicated to the acquisition of power over other lives. A lust that never grows weak and knows no pause. A will to endure and dominate. Yoda focuses the force through his lightsaber and cuts the asteroid in half with one strike. Dominus jumps flipping from asteroid to asteroid. Each one he touches he hurls at Yoda. As Yoda flips and dodges some of the asteroids collide into each other. He uses the asteroids as a stairway toward Dominus. As Yoda gets closer he hurls three asteroids at Dominus including the one he is standing on. Dominus effortlessly cuts all three in half and lands on an adjacent asteroid and engages Yoda in mid air. They jump from asteroid to asteroid at amazing speed. As they fight Yoda feels himself being cut off from the force. He is getting slower and can no longer match the speed of Dominus.

Dominus: What will you do when you are cut off from the light? You show great fear of the dark side of the force. Your fear of it keeps you from learning. From using what little you have accepted. Power shows no allegiance but obeys who possesses it. Your skill has made you arrogant. Your path is not unique, you do that what must be done. We stand where no one else will. Every time Yoda dodges Dominus's lightsaber attack he is kicked into the oncoming path of an asteroid. Cut off from his light connection to the force. Yoda uses his fear. His fear of failure. Fearing that he will intimately learn the darkside and he will be consumed by it. Fear of his destiny. That fear leads to anger and he reconnects to the force through anger. Asteroid after asteroid descends upon Yoda.

Yoda: My commitment you doubt? Using his lightsaber, feet and bare hands he breaks every asteriod sent toward him. The broken pieces float around him and he hurls them all at once at Dominus.

Dominus: No you doubt your ability to master this power. You should have done that six minutes ago. Using force lightning he pulverizes the asteroid boulders. He then begins to force choke Yoda. If we were Sith now you would die and I would find another disciple. Your skill is great but your fear of your power is disgraceful. You are stubborn and that is why I am sending you to the warmasters. The Mandalorians believe confrontation is needed for growth. I believe this as well. To your credit only few can truly test you. He releases Yoda from his force grip.

Yoda: What meaning is to be found in this test?

Dominus: You will reside on Mandalore for one year and if you survive then the experience would have been meaningful. You leave now.


End file.
